Pizz e Foje

Name: Pizz e Foje
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Abruzzese
Ingredients: 300 g coarse yellow cornmeal; 350 ml boiling water; 1000 g mixed bitter greens; 60 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 4 cloves Garlic; 4 whole dried sweet red peppers; 1 whole dried red chilli; 1 tsp Fine sea salt

Pizz e foje, also known as pizza e foglie, is a rustic Abruzzese staple of crisp maize flatbread crumbled into sautéed bitter greens with garlic and dried sweet peppers.

🇮🇹Italy· Abruzzo

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 65 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 410 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

300 g coarse yellow cornmeal — polenta bramata or fioretto
350 ml boiling water — freshly boiled
1000 g mixed bitter greens — chicory, curly endive, chard, or turnip tops, trimmed and rinsed
60 ml Extra virgin olive oil — robust regional oil
4 cloves Garlic — peeled and lightly crushed
4 whole dried sweet red peppers — peperoni secchi or cruschi, seeded
1 whole dried red chilli — crumbled
1 tsp Fine sea salt — divided

Equipment

•Baking sheet
•Large stockpot
•Large heavy skillet
•Colander
•Heatproof mixing bowl

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 410 kcal
fat: 17 g
carbs: 58 g
fibre: 8 g
protein: 9 g
calories: 410 kcal

Instructions

1
Place the coarse cornmeal and half a teaspoon of salt into a heatproof bowl.
2
Pour the boiling water over the meal, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon to form a firm dough.
3
Press the warm dough into a round flatbread, roughly one centimetre thick, onto an oiled baking sheet.
4
Bake at 200 degrees C for thirty minutes until golden and brittle at the edges.
5
Parboil the washed mixed greens in salted boiling water for eight minutes until completely tender.
6
Drain the cooked greens thoroughly in a colander, pressing out as much residual liquid as possible.
7
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and briefly fry the dried sweet peppers for one minute until crisp.
8
Remove the peppers and set aside, then add the crushed garlic and dried chilli to the hot oil until fragrant.
9
Add the squeezed greens to the skillet and sauté over medium-high heat for five minutes.
10
Break the warm maize flatbread into rough bite-sized chunks directly over the greens.
11
Toss everything together for four minutes so the bread absorbs the savoury oil, then finish with the crisp peppers.

Chef's tips

Press the maize dough firmly and evenly so it bakes with a crisp, dry crust. Thoroughly squeeze excess liquid from the greens to prevent the dish from turning watery. Watch the dried sweet peppers closely as they scorch quickly in hot oil.

Ingredient substitutions

mixed bitter greens → a mix of Swiss chard, savoy cabbage, and cavolo nero
dried sweet red peppers → mild dried Spanish ñora peppers or sweet dried chilli peppers

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Reheating

Reheat in a hot, lightly oiled frying pan over medium heat until sizzling and crisp.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Leaving the boiled greens wet, which makes the broken cornbread mushy instead of seared.
•Burning the dried peppers in oil that is too hot, making them intensely bitter.
•Cutting the baked corn flatbread with a knife rather than roughly tearing it by hand.

Serving suggestions

Serve hot in wide terracotta bowls with a generous final drizzle of raw olive oil.Pair with salted anchovies or grilled pork sausages as traditionally served in inland farming households.